Share “Questions to Ponder as Streetcar Routes...”

Questions to Ponder as Streetcar Routes are Unveiled

Advocates of the MAPS 3 streetcar system say today is an important milestone in the planning of the streetcar system, and I can’t see how anyone would argue with that.
At 3:30 p.m. today at 420 W Main, consultants will unveil what they think are the best routes to follow.
Sources tell me that the consultants are sticking to their initial recommendations that the route be a couplet, essentially cutting the potential length of the system and creating a very long circle with a couple of jogs into MidTown and Bricktown.Yesterday, I asked about the performance of earlier consultants for various city projects. Paul Ryckbost brings a unique perspective as both a former engineer at public works and an assistant city planner (he now works in the private sector).
Here are his answers on yesterday’s questions:- The Bricktown Strategic Plan was originally to be done by a very well respected firm in the real estate/market analysis field of urban redevelopment. However, the product they provided OKC in draft form was very formulaic and not a planning document. It was a PowerPoint presentation all about market analysis. Furthermore, they appeared to skip gathering any local input (didn’t interview stakeholders, etc.), so the City decided to close out that contract and move on. The resulting Bricktown Strategic Plan, led by AJ Kirkpatrick, then with the Planning Dept’s Urban Redevelopment Division, took a new approach. Multiple stakeholder interviews were completed to gain input. Staff worked very hard to produce a plan that contained history, current conditions and future trends. It also included images of what could happen in east Bricktown; something that the City thought they’d receive in the original study from the consultant, but that never appeared.

- The Downtown Streetscape Master Plan is currently referenced in Downtown and Bricktown design codes as a guiding document and is often referred to by staff when applicable. It was not utilized in Project 180 due to the nature of other public involvement, and, to be fair, I don’t think the Master Plan anticipated such a massive undertaking that would transform such a large area in a short amount of time. The plan itself covers an area much larger than Project 180, so when, and if, other streets are redone outside that area, it could be useful. Personally, my biggest complaint is that it only requires 5’ minimum sidewalks on most downtown streets – I prefer at least 8’ to provide more walking area and street amenities.

- I do not have much personal knowledge about Core to Shore and its specific planning consultant, but I can say this: Oklahoma has very few professional consulting planners (especially AICP – American Institute of Certified Planners). Therefore, any large plan often has to be done by out-of-town firms that may not have a good handle on local conditions, politics, involvement, etc., which can lead to adoption and follow-through issues down the road.

All this leads me to repeat what I’ve said before: the consultants aren’t always right, and question, question, question.

During the Urban Land Institute trip to Kansas City, I heard from professional rail transit planners who were very familiar with the project in Oklahoma City and they predicted a couplet system here will be a disaster, that it won’t draw the ridership it will need to survive, and will confuse potential customers. They urge a clear linear service that hits as many critical masses as possible.

Now here’s one more bit of insight to consider, and this is from the Center for Transportation Excellence conference recently held in Atlanta. First, remember that if the city goes with a couplet design, that pretty much, as sources tell it to me, rules out a connection to the Oklahoma Health Center, home to more than 30,000 students, doctors and scientists. It’s a college and hospital complex combined into one.
So that goes unserved. And yet according to the “Bosses for Buses” study by Good Jobs First, hospitals and colleges are among the heaviest users of public transit. The study also goes into great detail how partnerships and sponsorships are struck in various cities to make these transit lines a reality.
Has such a discussion taken place in Oklahoma City as part of route determination? How much discussion has taken place with stakeholders throughout the urban core? Yes, there were early public meetings. I attended those meetings. But much of that involved education of how such systems work, and how various routes can work.

Ultimately, this decision will be made by the city council. The question is, are they paying attention and asking questions, or will they assume that all work needing to be done will be taken care of by the MAPS 3 transit subcommittee?

10Show / Hide Archive Comments

The following comments are archived from the original publication of this post

david ballon Jun 28, 2013 @ 11:30 am

the st. charles street line in new orleans was the only survivor in that system, and one of very few survivors in the country. although it does have a couplet at one end due to space constraints, it is otherwise linear. i do not understand the opposition to a system that would get you from one place to the other. they ought to start off by connecting downtown to capitol hill. it would get used. then you could go up broadway to 23rd. alternatively, you could do an east/west alignment, but a clear winner for the inaugural route is much more problematic. naturally, the old map of the oklahoma city railway would be the best case scenario. it actually worked for half a century on private money.

MikeNon Jun 28, 2013 @ 3:01 am

I echo Jill's statements. Even a future extension into the HSC area is really a fools errand for exactly the reasons she stated. I fail to see how an out and back system aka linear is more effecient than the loop. Since experts do disagree you take what they offer and hope for the best.

Jillon Jun 27, 2013 @ 9:59 pm

I live in Deep Deuce and work at the HSC. A small minority of the people who work at the HSC live anywhere near downtown. Most of us travel to work between 7 and 9 in the morning and return at 4 to 6. Most of us do not have time to ride a streetcar into Bricktown or Midtown for lunch. The residents all have teaching conferences at lunchtime regardless. Most of the people who ride the bus from downtown to the HSC are only there because our odd bus routes drag them downtown to the bus transfer center. If we go to a grid system they will be able to travel a more direct route because almost none of them live downtown. The streetcar would run empty at night and on weekends as all clinics are closed and there are no restaurants or amenities to otherwise draw people. The HSC would be best served by express buses in the morning and late afternoon on weekdays. Conversely, there are people in Bricktown, Midtown, Deep Deuce and some parts of the CBD all day and late into the evening 7 days a week. There are residents, employees and tourists. A Bricktown to Midtown route will have far more activity than an HSC route.

Jim Staffordon Jun 27, 2013 @ 4:42 pm

I still think it's a huge miss if it doesn't include the Health Science Center from the start. You could move thousands of people to downtown/Bricktown for lunch/dinner/meetings and give the streetcar a real purpose. Otherwise, doesn't it remain a tourist ride?

MikeNon Jun 27, 2013 @ 1:59 pm

Along with simple the routes fares need to by very inexpensive and trains need to run on a frequentcy of no more than 5-10 minutes wait between trains in each direction.

Kris Bryanton Jun 27, 2013 @ 2:24 am

Keep it simple please. A linear system will allow the initiate phase to penetrate more deeply into neighborhoods/workplaces and connect to other bus routes (like 23rd street). The experts I am listening to say the streetcar needs to jive with the current bus system and the critical mass of people that exist just outside the downtown area.

Davidon Jun 26, 2013 @ 8:01 pm

There is no consensus among rail experts -- and you must also take riders into consideration, as they will provide some funding through fares -- about single-track couplets vs. double-track on one street. The main logical reason for selecting a couplet is space constraints. My comments during the ULI OK visit to KC were in response to my frequent visits to downtown OKC, as well as Portland (mostly couplets) and Seattle (partially couplets). KC -- like OKC -- has streets that are plenty wide enough (80+ feet) for double-tracking and rejected early attempts to go with couplets. We erred on the side of usability instead of non-transit forces. Keep the route simple and riders will reward you for eternity.

Jillon Jun 26, 2013 @ 6:37 pm

Who were those professional rail transit planners in Kansas City and what are their credentials? I think there are advantages and disadvantages to couplets and double track, and they have to be weighed in context. Regardless, they both cover about the same amount of area, with couplets expanding the area slightly. But we don't even know what our experts are going to propose yet. I'm on the streetcar subcommittee and I haven't been shown the route. So, lets wait to hear what our rail experts propose before worrying about couplets versus double track. It's an unnecessary expenditure of energy at this point.

Rodneyon Jun 26, 2013 @ 4:53 pm

Why does a couplet system rule out a connection to the Oklahoma Health Center?

MORE FROM NEWSOK

Steve Lackmeyer is a reporter and columnist who started his career at The Oklahoman in 1990. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his coverage, which included the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the city's Metropolitan...